1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to theft prevention systems, and more particularly to a method of monitoring electronic devices connected to a network and implementing security measures in the event of theft.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the increasing popularity of small, portable electronic devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and laptop computers, incidences of theft of such devices is on the rise. Within an office or other enterprise, it is common for users to connect such devices to a network for data synchronization, communications, etc. For example, the Mitel 5230 IP Appliance sets forth a system for docking a PDA to an IP telephone in order to take advantage of and/or control network-implemented PBX call features.
It is also common for users to leave such devices unattended, while the devices are connected to the network (e.g. in order to attend a meeting, take a lunch break, etc.), thereby exposing the devices to potential theft.
Mobile device security products available in the market today can be generally categorized into two groups. The first group consists of physical “locks” which restrict product removal by preventing protected devices from being physically removed from a fixed anchor point (akin to cable locks for bicycles). This type of security product can be both cumbersome for frequent device removal and impractical for small handheld devices. The second group of security products involve the use of a software application installed in the mobile device for restricting access to stored data in the event of unlawful removal of the device. Unfortunately, the inclusion of such application software does nothing to prevent or deter the actual unauthorized removal of the device.